Of Weird Islands and Triangles
by kressn
Summary: I decided to take some poetic license with the last episode. Always a good day for boy genius and family to come together and help each other, don't you all agree? This is a work in progress. I welcome ideas and feedback. This is my second FF Story so please be kind!
1. Chapter 1

Of Weird Islands and Triangles

He saw the wires fall, then the sparks and he knew two things with absolute certainty: One, Sparks and Jet Fuel do not mix well, Two: Cage and him had only seconds to exit the plane's wreck before it exploded; he turned to Cage and yelled "RUN!" Letting Cage take the lead and jump out of the plane first. They both immediately headed towards some debris which included a large blue metal hatch door that he knew would offer some protection for them from the heat and flames. Mac landed on top of Cage grabbing the metal door with one hand and placing it above over them both just in time.

Riley, Bozer and Jack heard the explosion and started running towards what was left of the plane. Jack was chanting "Don't be dead, please don't be dead, you can't be dead…" as he made it over the hill and down the path towards where Mac and Cage where laying on the ground among the debris. He lifted the heavy door and threw it aside like it was weightless, all he could think of was Mac. His boy had to be OK, he just could not be dead, just couldn't. Riley and Bozer where seconds behind Jack and looked down as the door was removed off Mac and Cage.

Cage looked up and saw Mac landing right on top of her, he rolled his body to cover hers to protect her. Even in the middle of their current predicament she thought that was funny, so cavalier of Mac to try and shield her, a trained agent, with his own body, like she was some fragile flower. Mac used the metal hatch to cover them both and then she heard the explosion, felt the concussive force from it and felt the heat of the ignited jet fuel run over the door like a wave. She gasped and covered her ears with her hands. Next thing she knew she was staring at the faces of Riley, Bozer and Jack as the metal door was removed and thrown aside by a panicked Jack. She felt something heavy on top of her as she tried to move and stand; she realized it was Mac.

"Mac, buddy! You hear me?" Jack yelled as he knelt down beside the very still, very unconscious agent. Jack place a hand on Mac' carotid and felt for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt one. "He is alive, help me get him on his back" he yelled to Bozer while Riley was helping Cage detangle herself from underneath Mac's slim frame. Bozer dropped his backpack on the ground and knelt down on the other side of his best friend and very carefully, following Jack's lead, helped roll Mac onto his back. Riley and Cage had now come around to stand behind the two waiting for instructions and trying to not be in the way. Riley's face was one of worry and Cage, although not as close to the others on the team yet, was also very concerned over Mac's wellbeing.

Mac moaned and moved his right hand towards his head, trying to reach the painful spot on it that threatened to explode just like the jet fuel if he moved the wrong way. He could hear Jack saying something, he probably should answer him, but he just could not seem to make his mind and his mouth work in tandem quite yet so he settled for another moan. He felt himself be lifted off the ground and in a sort of floating fashion, be moved over what must have been a few feet and laid back down with care on, what was that? Grass?

"Mac, come on kid, talk to me!" Jack said while he ran his hands over Mac's head checking for injuries; he stopped when he felt a lump. "He hit his head" he said to Bozer and the rest of the team, "pretty sure he has a concussion"; he continued to check Mac's body for further injuries, running his hands up and down the kid's arms, torso, legs, pushing and probing with the ease of someone who has done so way too many times and the care of someone touching a fine piece for fragile china.

Mac heard Jack's plea and opened his eyes, slowly, unable to hold another moan that escaped his lips as the bright sunlight caused his eyes to water and his head to feel like it was currently holding marching band auditions in surround sound. "Ja'c..k" he managed to voice. "I'm here kiddo" Jack said, "How are you doing?" Jack asked Mac, placing a hand on one of Mac's cheeks and using the other to run it through the kid's hair, careful not to aggravate the bump. "I've been better" Mac was finally able to answer; "what the hell happened?" he asked his team mates. Riley was the one who answered first; "There was an explosion, you and Cage were very close to the plane when it went off, you both were among some debris under a metal door a few feet away when we reached you".

"Right Mac said, I remember…"I smelled jet fuel and when to check it out; one of the consoles had been booby-trapped to ignite the jet fuel and explode", Cage, he suddenly remembered Cage had been with him. "Cage, are you OK?" he asked as he made to sit up, only to be stopped by both Jack's hand on his shoulder and the fact that the entire Universe titter tottered on him violently; another loud moan escaped his lips as he felt himself guided back down to a prone position on the grass. "Easy there kid, you have a hell of a lump on your head", Jack said, "I am going to need to lie still, OK kiddo?"

Cage came around from behind the others and came down on one knee to Mac's left; she took his left hand in hers and started rubbing circles around it with her thumb while she said, "I'm here Mac, I'm OK; your little stunt with the door worked, that and your body protecting me" Mac opened his eyes again, he did not remember closing them as it was, and turned his head very slowly towards his left and smiled thinly; "Good" he said. Cage smiled and said, "thank you" to the already unconscious agent.

"We need to get off this crazy ass island!" Jack told them all. His tone was one of both authority and panic. "I told you all that this island was not a good idea, the Devil's Triangle is cursed!" "Jack…." Riley started, only to be cut off by Cage; "Jack is right, Mac is hurt and we need to get him medical attention, not to mention finding Commander Wheeler and his team", Jack nodded, "Riley, see what you can do to get us back onto the Satellite Uplink and get reinforcements here ASAP!" he said, shifting from friend to commander, "Cage, you clear the perimeter, make sure we are alone", Cage nodded and left to follow her orders, "Bozer, get the first aid kit out of your bag, then go help Riley"; "I will clean up our boy's head and get him ready to travel"

"Travel?" Bozer and Riley both said in unison; "where?" "There" Jack said pointing to the looming Navy outpost building about 2 miles to the North. They needed to get Mac inside before dark. There was no telling who that prisoner was on the plane, or what exactly was going on, but Jack needed to secure his team and make sure Mac was safe before he took on whatever, or whomever was out there. He turned to Riley and Bozer and said "We can't be out here when night falls, not with Mac unconscious and with who knows what or whom running around this island" Jack rubbed his hands on his face, "The building will offer not only shelter, but also some tactical cover for the two of you to take care of Mac while Cage and I deal with our other problems" Riley and Bozer nodded in understanding and agreement. Riley went off to set up her gear to try and make a connection, while Bozer dropped his bag and pulled out the First-Aid Field Kit to hand it to Jack. He took a look at Mac, who was still out like a light and then went over to help Riley as instructed.

"I told you this was not a good idea bud…" Jack said as he knelt back down beside Mac, first-aid kit in hand, "I knew this island was cursed!" he said to his unconscious friend. "OK kiddo, let's get you cleaned up and ready to travel…" It was going to be a very long day.

To be continued…

2


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Weird Islands and Triangles (Chapter 2)**

 _ **OK, I am going to take advantage of the supernatural nature of the Triangle and go down a rabbit hole. Let's see if it works!**_

Mac opened his eyes slowly, he blinked and squinted at the bright sunlight coming through the window; he yawned and then suddenly he realized he was not where he was supposed to be. How is there a window? Why is there a window? Was he on a bed? What in the world was going on? "Jack!" he gasped sitting up on the bed.

He looked around and suddenly it was like all the air left the room. He _was_ in a bedroom, **_his_** bedroom, from when he was 5. He was trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing when suddenly there was a knock on the door and a voice, a woman's voice that called to him: "Angus sweetheart, are you up?", "I made chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, your favorite". The door opened slowly and a beatiful blonde stepped in, with bright blue eyes and a smile that lit up the entire room; the Universe. Mac's breath caught, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, then one word came out of his mouth, slowly, savoring every letter; "MOM?", then darkness.

Whispering, he could hear whispering; a man and a woman were speaking quietly right beside the bed he was still laying on; he opened one of his eyes slowly and the the other, blinking rapidly to clear his vision and then turned his head towards the voices. The woman noticed the movement and turned to face him, placing a hand on the man that was speaking to halt the conversation. She smiled and came over to sit beside him on the bed. "Angus, honey, you're awake"; "how are you feeling?", she said as she tenderly and slowly ran her fingers through his hair. Mac was staring at her, his brain could not connect the dots for him, it was impossible, it can't be, it was his mother?

"Mom?" he said tentatitvely, almost as if saying the word outloud could make it not be so..."Mom? is that you?" He gasped and suddenly sat up and just threw himself into her arms, wrapping his own arms around her so tight she gasped surprised, almost breathless. "Honey, Angus, what... what is wrong?", she said hugging him back. "Of course it's me baby, who else would it be?" she said and smiled pushing him away from her, probably more out of necessity to breathe than the desire to stop the hug. She frowned and raised on eyebrow at him, while taking the back of her hand and placing it on his forehead, like she did when he was a child and he was sick in bed, to check to see if he was running a temperature. "You don't feel hot sweetheart" she said with relief.

"Mom, it's you?" "How?... um.. "what happened?" He was so confused! He was full of questions and emotions, he did not know which to address first? All he knew right now is that his beloved mother sat before him; alive and well. "Where is Jack?" He turned to look at the man that was in the room with them, suddenly remembering he existed; "who are you?"

"Angus, honey, you know Dr. Walker, he has been our doctor for years baby", his mother said, "what is wrong sweetheart?" "You're scaring me", "Who is Jack?", she stated glacing at the doctor, pleading for some help of him. The doctor walked over to the bed and looked down at Mac and greeted him; "hello Mac, how are you feeling?"; "Do you know where you are?" he asked and paused, giving Mac a chance to answer. "Um...I'm ho...m...e" Mac said slowly, still not sure that was the right answer. The doctor smiled and nodded. "You passed out on your momma earlier kid, scared her to death" the doctor reprimanded. "I told her it must just be jet lag, with that really long flight from Paris you took yesterday and coming straight here from the airport"

Paris? Flight? Mac was more confused than ever, but he figured if he wanted to help his mom not look so scared, jet lag was as good an explanation for passing out as any so he nodded. "Yes, sorry mom, I did not mean to scare you; I just over did it a bit I guess". "See! the doctor said, I told you there is nothing wrong with your boy a little rest can't fix" He turned to Mac and said, "Why don't you try taking a nap now kiddo, I'm sure you will feel better afterwards OK?" Mac nodded. "I'm going to walk the doctor out hon, you lie still OK", "I will be right back" his mom said and leaned over, planting a kiss on his forehead; Mac inhaled, slowly and deliberately, the scent of her perfume was dizzying and wonderful!; "OK mom he said"

"Mac... Mac!, buddy, can you hear me?", "Angus Macgyver!" Mac opened his eyes, startled at the forceful way his full name was used; a gut reaction from his military days; "Mom?" he said, only to be me with Jack's confused face, frowning with worry. "No kiddo, it's me, Jack" Jack worry meter quadruppled when Mac called him "mom", what was that all about? He looked at Cage and Bozer both of whom were beside him, both of whom shrugged their shoulders in confusion. Jack turned his attention back to Mac, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a little shake to get Mac to focus back onto him. "Hey, kiddo, you OK? You were dreaming " he figured he had been dreaming of his mom right before he woke him up, "you tracking bud?"

Mac looked up at Jack and then noticed Cage and Bozer right there as well. He sighed, it was just a dream, but it was so real! He could still feel his mom's arms around him; smell her perfume...His breath caught and he turned his head away from his team mates in an effort to regain control; taking a deep breath, he turned his head back towards Jack and spoke; "Jack, sorry, I'm OK", "what the hell happened?" he said with some exasperation, still very confused. Jack dropped his hand from his shoulder and grabbed him from behind as Mac started to sit up, helping him to slowly find a comfortable position with his back against a fallen log.

"Hey Mac, how you doing bud?" Bozer asked, his face lined with worry. Mac blinked at him and smiled, "I'm OK Bozer...I have a bitch of a headache though and feel a bit banged up". "Yeah, that happens when you are nearly blown up by an exploding airplane dude" Riley said from behind them, startling Mac. Jack noticed the suddle jump Mac gave at Riley's voice and placed a steadying hand behind his neck and squeezed.

"We have to move out kiddo; it is going to get dark soon and we need to make it to that outpost" Jack nodded in the direction of the building, you think you can stand kid? Walk?" Jack asked, his hand still grasping Mac's neck, his dark eyes looking right at Mac's with both love and concern. Mac nodded, he still was not sure exactly what had happened, but he trusted Jack, and he said they had to move, then move they would; "help me up" he said at which both Jack and Bozer grabbed him, each one arm, and lifted...

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Weird Islands and Triangles (Chapter 3)**

 _ **OK, so Mac had a some time with his mother at this point; he is confused as to what is going on; he is hurting and his friends are trying to keep him safe, complete their mission and get themselves off this crazy island. Let's see what happens next? OK?**_

Gravity is a funny thing; it is supposed to be able to keep things from falling off the face of the Earth and floating away into the darkness of space, at least that is what Mac always knew to be true, but when Jack and Bozer helped him up off the ground, gravity did not feel like it was doing anything to keep him grounded; on the contrary, Mac felt like he was floating away, ready to be lost into the abyss that was dark and oddly inviting. He gasped and closed his eyes.

"You OK there kid?" Jack asked, his grip tightening against Mac's forearm. He took a look at Bozer, who also was holding and basically keeping Mac upright at this point, and who also shared a worried look about Mac's current state. When Mac did not respond to him, Jack tried again, "Angus, you with us?"; Mac's first name did the trick, it usually did, and Mac rolled his head towards Jack, blinking rapidly in an effort to focus on his face. His knees were still very rubbery, and his breathing was labored, none of which made Bozer nor Jack very happy.

"Sorry.." Mac managed to spit out, "Just a litle light headed" "Just need a minute", he said facing Bozer. Bozer nodded but continued to hold on to his friend's arm tightly, being careful with the bandage that Jack had wrapped on Mac's left arm after applying some burn cream from the first-aid-kit to treat Mac's slight burn from the flames that the exploding plane spewed out towards them as they hit the ground. "I'm OK" Mac said. Mac knew they needed to get going. He was still trying to sort through everything in his head, his mom, the room, what the hell was going on? but he knew this was not the right moment, so he took a deep breath, straighted himself out as best he could, and made eye contact with Jack, trying to sound confident, "let's go!" and started moving forward.

Bozer was holding on to his friend who looked very pale and who was waivering on his feet, swaying like a tree branch in the wind. He looked at Jack who obviously shared his concerns. Mac told them he was OK, and to just give him a minute, but he really looked like he needed about a week, in a hospital right about now, in a bed with some good drugs. Bozer was still getting used to the whole secret-agent thing to be honest, and it was still hard to cope with seein Mac hurt; in a way, ignorance was bliss and he sort of missed the days when they lied to him and told him Mac was on "business trips" that ran long or was just a bit clumzy and accident prone... He was brought out of his reverie by Mac's "let's go!" statement and sudden foward movement.

Jack was worried that Mac would not really be able to walk the 2 miles to the structure, and honestly would have been happier carrying the kid's skinny ass there, but now that Mac was concious, it was unlikely he would let Jack carry him, so Jack decided to 'go with it' for now, but he mantained a death grip on the kid's right forearm and was watching him like a hawk. As they started towards the building he had called "we're moving out!" to both Riley and Cage. Cage took lead without being asked, and was doing her best to make sure the road was clear of anything or anyone that could present a danger to the team; Riley fell into step right behind Jack, Mac and Bozer, trying to remain calm and being observant just in case they were not alone.

Mac was doing his best to keep his legs working and moving him forward, not an easy task because every muscle was protesting and his head was pounding and felt like it was full of air. He knew they had to make it to the base before dark, so he focused his whole energy in taking a step, then another, and another...He felt Jack's and Bozer's grip tighten around his arms with each passing minute, not realizing that it was because he was starting to really falter and list to his left; his breathing coming in quick bursts until he stumbbled and fell to his knees, his fall slowed by his friends' grasp.

"Mac!" Bozer said as he watched his best friend stumble and begin to fall. Jack also yelled, "Mac, kiddo! Both Jack and him slowed their friend's descent but could not stop it completely. "Damn it!" Jack yelled just as Mac started to heave and discard his meal from the morning. Mac heard both his friends yell but could not really do much other than fight the veil of unconsciousness that threatened to take him over. His vision swam and his peripheral vision darkened making him nauseated. He blinked and when he opened his eyes his mother was speaking to him. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, a fork in his hand and a plate of bacon, eggs, pancakes and toast in front of him; he blinked again and focused his attention on his mother whom he realized was asking him a question, but all he could think was what the hell is going on? How can he be here?

Jack lowered the kid down so he would be laying flat as Mac lost conciousness. Bozer, Cage and Riley were all standing around them, forming a protective circle around them actually, which in a different time and circumstance Jack would have taken time to point out and tell them how proud he was to be part of this team; but now was not the time. "Is he OK?" Riley asked wide-eyed. "He passed out again" Jack said, "I am going to carry him, we need to keep moving" as he lifted his uncouncious friend into his arms, shifting the kid's head so it was craddled against his shoulder, "lets go!" he barked and started moving again toward the base, "we need to hurry this up" Jack stated to his team, "we need to get the hell off this God-Forsaken island, and we need to do it fast!"...

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Weird Islands and Triangles _ Chapter 4**

 _ **Sorry everyone that this has taken so long; among the holidays, crazy busy at work and me taking a Caribbean Cruise (don't hate), I've not had time to write, but I sit here on the Lido deck of the magnificent cruise ship today, on a lounge chair with copious amounts of alcohol constantly flowing, writing this chapter for all of you to hopefully enjoy.**_

 _ **Please be kind in the reviews (Did I mention the copious amounts of alcohol?)**_

Jack is tired, his muscles were protesting the fact that he carried his young friend in his arms for two miles getting him to safety; he did not mind of course, he would do anything for Mac, the boy was more than his best friend, he was like a son to him. He was also brain-tired, the stress of the day catching up with the he exhaustion of his body, given that he was also responsible for the well being of the whole team, Riley, Bozer, Cage, even the military crew's they were originally sent to the island to rescue. Jack knew he was running on adrenaline alone at this point, and he also knew he needed to take care of himself if he was going to be of use to his "family" so after he got Mac settled on a flat surface in the control room they had finally reached, he ordered everyone to take a breather, Cage had protested saying that they needed to find the missing crew and figure out a way off the island; Jack knew that was the case, but he also reminded her that they all needed to be able to function and think clearly so everyone needed to take a little bit of time to catch their breaths, have some rations, drink some water and find their focus. Everyone was also worried about Mac who had yet to regain consciousness even though both him and Bozer had tried to rouse him; Riley even planted a kiss on the boy's forehead and whispered something in his ear but nothing worked, so right now they were letting him sleep, not t say Jack was not worried sick!

"Mom" Mac savored that word every time he said it. His mom turned to him and smiled, God he loved that smile, it had the power to make anything better he thought; "Yes baby?" She answered, looking at him with unabashed love in her eyes. "Um.. He said, how long…um..how long have I been here?" He asked, hoping that it would not send alarm bells to his mother. She smiled again, put her hand on his forearm and said, "1 day so far honey, you can't stay long" she said, her expression changing to one of worry all of the sudden. He looked at her confused and asked, "I cant'?" "You're friends are waiting for you baby, you can't stay, you have to go help them?", "First you have to wake up Angus!", "Wake up!" Mac gasped, suddenly he was looking up at Jack's worried face staring down at him. He could feel a hard metallic surface underneath him; he blinked and rubbed his right hand over his face, trying to wipe away the cob webs; Jack's hands were on his shoulders, he had evidently shaking him trying to wake him. "Hey Jack" he said, "how long have I been out?" He asked as he moved to sit up, an idea that was better in theory than practice because had it not been for Jacks's strong hands on the back off his shoulders, he would have fallen right back down, hard.."Ugh!" he could not help the grunt that escaped his lips as the world shifted; he gripped the sides of the tables with his hands so as not to fall off, at least that is what he felt would happen if he let go.

Jack was so relieved that Mac had finally responded and woken up that he felt like he could cry. When Mac awoke it was obvious he was dizzy, Jack placed his hands on the back of the kids shoulders to steady him as Mac made his way to sitting position. When the kid asked how long had he'd been out? Jack looked at the boy and smiled, "not too long bud, about 4 hours" They had all decided that despite his obvious concussion it would be best to let him rest. They had taken turns shaking him awake every hour just enough to make sure he could be and then they let him rest again; however, it had been hours since Mac had eaten anything, more importantly, since he had drunk anything, Jack decided it was time to wake the kid up no make sure he could get something in him. He turned his attention from his friend to Riley who had just approached the pair; Riley was light on her feet so her presence startled Mac, eliciting an apology from the girl as she began to speak, after hugging Mac lightly and telling him she was glad he was awake. She turned to Jack and gave him a worried look.

"What is it Riley?" Jack asked her, "you look like you've seen a ghost" Jack joked, sort of…

Riley was typing furiously on her machine, trying to make sense of what she was seeing on screen; it could not be real she figures, planes don't just disappeared into thin air, that was not possible, was it? She stood and walked into the direction of Jack and Mac, whom she was pleased to see was in the middle of sitting up. "Hey!" She said, startling Mac; "sorry" she said and moved to hug Mac's neck and told him she was glad to see him awake. She then remembered why she had walked over, and turned to Jack. "Jack, I need to show you something" she grabbed her tablet and turned it towards the older man, pointing at a blip on the screen as it blinked, blinked, and then disappeared. Jack was not a scientist, but he was a military-trained man, and was able to read a radar screen, so he was able to determine what he was seeing was in fact a plane on radar that disappeared into thin air. He raised an eyebrow at Riley.  
"I know Jack, I don't get it either, it was like it was there one minute and gone the next" she said.

"Let me see" Mac said, Riley glanced at Jack for approval, the older man nodded, she then turned her screen towards the blonde and pointed to the spot on the screen. She could almost see Mac's brain trying to make sense of what he was seeing. It worried her that Mac still seemed to be sluggish, normally he would be able to process information very quickly, without so much as breaking a sweat, but this time it seemed like his brain was not working at the capacity she knew he has capable of.

Mac stared at the screen that Riley had pointed in his direction after he asked to see it. Riley had brought it up for Jack to see, but had been careful to now show it to him until he asked too see it and until Jack had given his approval. He felt a surge of warmth towards his makeshift family, for everyone of them was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he was OK; it was time he returned the favor though, so he willed himself to focus on what he was seeing on the screen, even though it did not make any sense. Did that plane just disappear? "Hum" he said out loud, both his friends turned to look at him. "Signal jammer" he said to both of them and no one in particular. He knew a signal jammer could certainly create the illusion of things disappearing, it was easy enough to mount an electronic-charade that fooled some into thinking that planes were dropping from the skies never too be seen again; while causing interference with the the planes' actual instruments, enough to cause said plane to make an emergency landing on a conveniently-located Devils' Island. He closed his eyes and placed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, pushing the headache that was threatening to rear it's ugly head soon, towards the back burner.

"That is possible" Riley said, a signal jammer would make it look like a plane was there one second and gone the next; "but why?" She asked.

"To force them to land Riley" Mac and Jack both said simultaneously. Jack picked up from there, "Yeah, that would explain why we lost contact with the VP's Son's plane and why Riley, you are having such a hard time holding a stable Satellite signal", Mac nodded and looking at his friends' faces said, "I have an idea" Jack smiled, that's my boy, he thought, while Cage and Bozer approached the group, Bozer taking a minute to put a hand on Mac's shoulder as a greeting, smiling at his childhood friend, "Good to see you up Mac" he told the blond, "Did I hear you have an idea?" He turned to Mac while Cage remained on the perimeter of the group's circle still hesitant to join in too closely but keeping herself close enough to to be involved.

Mac nodded. "I think I know how to get us off this island, and if I'm right, how to find the missing crew members too" "I am going to need a few things" he said as he slid off the table, swaying a bit at the change in posture, but managing to stay upright, although he still felt Jack's hand on his arm, steadying him, as always. He nodded at the older man letting him know he was OK.

"Riley, Bozer, I am going to need some wires, as much as you can find"; "Cage, I need power, see if you can find something like batteries or fuel, "Jack, I need you to help me bring find the old schematics for this place, I'm guessing that they have some sort of antenna in the upper towers, we need to figures out which one and how to get there easily, with decent cover. Jack nodded, then turned to the team and said, "You heard the man, let's go!" Mac started towards the back of the room to gather some more supplies he may need, screws, maybe some tape if he was lucky, when suddenly the doctor who had helped him during his initial "visit" with his mom, whom, although his mother claimed he knew from childhood, he had never seen before in his life, stood before him; Mac stopped and blinked at the apparition. "The 'doctor' smiled at him and then pointed out towards the window on the East side of the building; Mac turned to look at that direction and then glanced back at the 'doctor', "what?", Mac asked, "what is over there?" The apparition simply smiled, pointed again and said, "Follow your gut Angus, you know what you need to do; the hands of time walk backwards but time does not truly stand still here"; he then disappeared.

"You OK bud?" Mac jumped at the sound of Jack's voice and his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, he said, I am fine Jack, thanks. What was he supposed to do, tell his friend that not only was he suffering from an obvious concussion, but also was hallucinating to the point of seeing his mom and some weird man he had never met whom his "mother" claimed was doctor that had treated him for his entire life? Not likely, there was no way his friends would not tie him down to a bed, table, or whatever would hold him supine and keep him there in an effort to make sure he was OK. His friends needed his help to get them out of this weird island, and he was not about to let them down. He turned to Jack and asked, "did you find the blueprints for this place Jack? Jack held out some rolled up papers, presumably pre-computer, which made sense given the age of the outpost. Mac smiled, "good, let's get to work" he said to his friend….

 _ **To be continued…**_


	5. Chapter 5

**OK, so now we see where this new apparition takes us…**

It took some doing but Mac was able to build a heat-sensor with scraps, this would be a great tool to use in trying to find their way through the maze of structures around them. He was sitting down, trying to regain some of his strength now, for building the machine and frankly, staying awake, was a bit much for his battered body. He found himself thinking about his mom and how real the dreams had been (they had to be dreams), and he was trying to figure out why he kept seen that 'doctor' in them; he was sure he had never seen the man before, and yet his mother had said that the man had been an old friend; then the same man had appeared to him here, so real, he could almost touch him and told him to " _follow his gut_ " which was even stranger. Mac was startled out of his reverie by Jack's hand on his shoulder, he turned to the older man and smiled.

Jack was concerned, he had called out Mac's name several times from across the room but the kid had not even noticed, finally Jack walked across the length of the room and reached his friend, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder and gave it a squeeze; Mac finally turned to face him, giving him a slight smile. "You OK kiddo?" he asked the blonde, "I've been calling your name for a while now"

"Sorry Jack, I was thinking and did not hear you" Mac was surprised to hear how rough his voice sounded, and tired; he knew that was not going to help things with Jack so he figured a little honesty may be a better option at this point. "I'm tired and sore, but I will be OK Jack" he answered honestly.

Jack was surprised to hear the kid admit to being tired, that was a huge admission for the kid since he knew Mac hated to show any weakness, but he tried his best to not look as concerned, hell, panicked, as he was. "OK, I'm sure you have a bear of a headache too, given the close encounter with the ground after the explosion you had back by the plane; just don't overdo it kiddo, if you need to stop, we stop OK?"

Mac nodded

"We are ready to go then?" Jack said loudly enough for the whole team to hear him. Riley, Bozer and Cage all approached both Mac and Jack and nodded. The plan was that they would use Mac's thermal sensor to try and find the survivors of the crash, Cage would take Riley back to the crash site though and keep an eye out while Riley user her computer mojo, like Jack liked to call it, to try and reach Phoenix by bypassing whatever technology was in place that was messing with the signals. "OK, let's go people!" He barked and they all moved out. Mac went out first holding the thermal sensor, while Jack and Bozer followed, with Riley and Cage behind them. Jack grabbed Bozer's arm to hold him back a bit as they started down the hallway towards the exit.

"What's up Jack?" Bozer asked, making eye contact with the older man.

"Mac; he admitted to being sore and tired" Jack let that sink in for he knew that Bozer too would be surprised by Mac admitting to not being "OK", "I need to keep a close eye on our Boy Wonder while we are out and about Boze, while I have our Six", when Bozer nodded Jack continued, "I don't know what else is up with Mac, but there is something else he is not telling me and I don't like it"

"Yeah, I got that feeling too Jack" Bozer admitted, "something is up with Mac, but I don't know what?"

Mac stopped walking when he realized that he was very far ahead of the others. He turned to face his team and frowned; "you guys coming?"

"Coming" was the chorus answer as Jack and Bozer jogged forward to catch up. "Which way we going Mac? Bozer asked. Mac stopped and thought back on what the "doctor" had said to him and where the apparition had pointed; what the hell! That place is as good as any he figured since he had no idea what direction would be best; "that way" he said, pointing towards the East side of the building.

Off they went…

To be continued…


End file.
